Never Enough
by barneyrockz
Summary: Charlotte has to tell Elizabeth about her engagement, even knowing how much it will hurt them both. It was time for them to move on. No matter how perfect it felt, it was never meant to be. Currently a One-Shot, but I may expand it a bit. Femslash.


**This is somewhat of an unusual paring, but please forgive me. This idea took hold of me and I couldn't shake it.**

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><p>It was on a day hardly more interesting than any other that Charlotte stood silently on the path to Longbourn. She could see the house, but she herself was hidden from its occupants. She needed it to be this way; needed a chance to prepare herself for the interview to come. Her eyes were closed and she breathed slowly and deeply. For a while she had feared this day, but knew that it must come eventually. The circumstances were not the same as she had imagined, but the principal was the same.<p>

Charlotte took one last deep breath and strode foreword, her eyes opening and reveling their sad and teary depths. She made a great effort to compose herself as she walked, managing to will away the tears, but not the grief.

Entering the house she was greeted by the giggles of Lydia and Kitty and the cries of Mrs. Bennet. With a small rueful smile Charlotte searched for the one person in the household she truly wanted to see.

Elizabeth Bennet was not hard to find. She sat calmly on a window seat with a book in her hand, trying to focus despite the noise around her. Once Charlotte say her, she did not immediately say anything, simply looking at the picture presented by the light shining through the window and landing delicately on Elizabeth. At last Charlotte took a step and placed a gentle hand on Elizabeth's shoulders. Elizabeth jumped.

"Lizzy." Elizabeth looked up at Charlotte and simply _knew_ that they had something important to discuss; something private.

"Come," Elizabeth said calmly, taking Charlotte's hand in her own. "Let's go for a walk." Charlotte nodded.

They quit the house and at once the air felt fresher and they felt free. No one noticed that they had left and as they got deeper into the woods they _knew_ that they were alone. By an unspoken agreement they stopped and turned to look each other in the eye, their hands still entwined.

They never came to the same spot when they had their times alone. They were smarter than that. Their places were always random. They had to be. It was never illegal, what they were doing. But it was frowned upon and, in their society, given their social positions being frowned upon was just as bad.

They didn't fear society for themselves. No, if they had no one else to care for they would have felt no need for the measures they took to insure secrecy. But they both had families and siblings to worry about and neither was selfish enough to not care.

Charlotte _knew_ she had to be the first one to speak. She tried but her voice was failing her. She was facing the inevitable and there was no way to back out. This would have happened at some point no matter what. It was something Charlotte had always known and feared.

"Lizzy, we need to talk," Charlotte began at last, unable to think of another preface. "I know why you refused Mr. Collins."

"He is pompous and odious and I can barely stand to be in his company for more than a few minutes," Elizabeth retorted.

"No," Charlotte said knowingly, "you refused him because of what it would mean for us." Elizabeth looked away, unable to hold Charlotte's gaze. "You always say that you will marry only for the deepest love, but do you really mean it?" Elizabeth didn't answer at first but she didn't need to. Charlotte _knew_ before she had asked.

"How can I," Elizabeth replied without looking up, "when I cannot marry my deepest love? You know I will never love anyone as I do you. No man could ever possess a fraction of the love I have for you."

"I know Lizzy but you must understand. This was never meant to be." Elizabeth looked up jerkily, her face pale and her eyes wide with terror. She _knew_ where this was going however much she would wish it otherwise.

"But it _is_," Elizabeth insisted, all the while knowing that she had already lost this argument. "We've made it work." Charlotte shook her head. "You can't give up on this, on us."

"Everything has changed."

"No! Nothing has changed. We can go back to the way things were. No one needs ever know." Charlotte used her free hand to gently tuck a lock of Elizabeth's hair behind her ears.

"I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"Even if I wanted to, it is too late."

"Don't say that!"

"Lizzy," Charlotte said softly, her hand still resting in Elizabeth's hair, "love, I am engaged to Mr. Collins."

Charlotte looked deep into Elizabeth's eyes and saw there enough to break her heart. First they showed shock, then disbelief and finally betrayal. Elizabeth took a few steps back, breaking all contact she had had with Charlotte.

"Why?" Elizabeth's voice was strained and she could barely manage this one word.

"Because he offered security. Because it frees my parents from having to provide for me. But," Charlotte took a deep breath, "mostly because we both knew that this would not last forever." Elizabeth turned away again and allowed herself the luxury of a single tear.

Charlotte closed some of the space between them and lifted Elizabeth's chin softly. Elizabeth met her eyes and both hearts broke simultaneously at the pain swimming in the other's eyes. Charlotte leaned in to give Elizabeth a chaste kiss, but Elizabeth clung to her like a drowning man to a ship. Their kiss quickly became passionate and stopped only by their need to breathe.

"I'm sorry Lizzy," Charlotte said as she began to walk backwards into the woods. "I'm sorry but love just isn't enough. Love, alone, is never enough." After saying this, Charlotte turned and ran. Elizabeth did not follow. Instead she sank to the ground and stared off into space. Only one last tear leaked out. The last she'd ever shed.

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><p><strong>I'm thinking about putting another piece to this. I've got an idea but I'm not really sure if I want to add more. What do you guys think?<strong>


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